Dallas Mavericks vs. New York Knicks: Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 12/3/2022

by Chuck Sommers

Friday, Dec 02, 2022
Time: 12:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Where to watch: MSG, BSSW-DAL
 

Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks

 
DraftKings: Mavs 1-5.
FanDuel: NL
BetMGM: NL
Caesars: Mavs -1.5
 
Season record
Mavs: 10-11
Knicks: 10-12
 
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Mavs - Knicks preview, prediction and analysis

 
Recent form
Mavs: lost 131-125 (OT) at Pistons on Thursday
Knicks: lost 109-103 vs. Bucks on Wednesday
 
Mavs analysis
 
Another day, another time where I try to make sense of what the Dallas Mavericks are doing, and they go out and lay an egg against the Detroit Pistons. None of what’s going on with this team, especially on the road, makes any sense, and the Mavs are back down to below. 500. So of course going against New York, and facing Jalen Brunson for the first time is exactly what the Mavs need.
 
Luka Doncic is literally on an island, and he should win MVP at this rate if he gets this team to the playoffs. Doncic is coming off a 35-point effort, but this team can’t make its free throws to save its life. The Mavs went 14 of 29 from the free-throw line. That’s less than 50 percent. How in the world can a team lose games by not making shots that are considered free? One may never know, but sheesh, I’m tired of being a part of it.
 
How this team lost a game where Christian Wood had 25 points and 8 rebounds, how Tim Hardaway had 26 points makes no sense to me. Dallas even made 41.3 percent of its 3-point attempts. It’s just so agonizing to think this is going to be a thing going forward, especially if they have no idea how to win on the road.
 
“I'm disappointed with the effort we gave on the defensive end,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “That's something we will talk about tomorrow.”
 
Yeah, I’m sure you will, Jason. I’m sure you will.
 
Knicks analysis
 
The New York Knicks have no idea what team they want to be this year. Clearly, the keys have been handed toward Jalen Brunson, and facing his former team for the first time is going to be something we look forward to in this game. But outside of Brunson and maybe Julius Randle, New York doesn’t have the identity here.
 
The Knicks have the 10th-best offense in the league, but have given up nearly an identical amount of points at the other end. No matter if Brunson and Randle can score 21 points a game while RJ Barrett is over there putting up a quiet 18, if they can’t play defense – and from this roster, we know they can’t – they’re going to be struggling for a while now. 
 
They need someone to step in and play some good basketball at both ends. Whether it be Immanuel Quickley or Obi Toppin, the Knicks need one more two-way player to at least set the tone if they want to be considered a great team going forward.
 
Right now, it’s hard to envision this team any better than .500. Yeah, they’re getting better and banking on Brunson becoming an All-Star, but something needs to fix in order for that to happen.

 Prediction
 
I’m not one to argue when the home team plays its games, but having the early noon start usually doesn’t bode well for the road team. Knicks by 10
 

Betting trends

 
Mavs are 14-4 ATS on the road off an upset loss the last 3 seasons.
 
Mavs are 30-17 ATS off a loss the last 2 seasons.
 
Knicks are 7-19 ATS at home after playing a home game the last 2 seasons.
 
Knicks are 39-19 ATS when the line is +3 to -3 over the last 3 seasons.
 
Projected starting lineup
 
Mavs:
PG: Luka Doncic
SG: Spencer Dinwiddie
SF: Tim Hardaway Jr.
PF: Dorian Finney-Smith
C: Dwight Powell
 
Knicks:
PG: Jalen Brunson
SG: Quentin Grimes
SF: RJ Barrett
PF: Julius Randle
C: Mitchell Robinson
 

Key injuries

 
Mavs: Kemba Walker (rest, day-to-day)
 
Knicks: None
 

Statistical leaders

 
Mavs:
Points: Luka Doncic – 33.6
Rebounds: Luka Doncic – 8.7
Assists: Luka Doncic – 8.7
 
Knicks:
Points: Jalen Brunson – 21.3
Rebounds: Julius Randle – 8.6
Assists: Jalen Brunson – 6.5
 
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this Dallas Mavericks – New York Knicks prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NBA projections and previews.

Chuck Sommers

About the Author:

Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.

All photographic images used for editorial content have been licensed from the Associated Press.

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